Carnality of Literature
I indulge through fragrance. My relationship with it is carnal: my signature perfume, Alexander McQueen’s discontinued Kingdom, was designed to smell like sex. Tip: you want your signature fragrance to enhance, not fight, the smell of your sweat.
My job is words. I came to them intellectually. By this I mean: my intellect was formed around them. It’s difficult for me to write from the body, to let things be filthy or imperfect or rough.
Recently I’ve been making posts on social media which pair fragrances to books—to deal with anxiety, for the most part, that I’m not enough, not doing enough, or lazy, not earning the right to exist, or perhaps to be embodied.
My friend and editor, delighted by the concept, suggested I make it a whole thing, so here it is: a Thing now.
This entire Substack will be posts which pair literature to fragrances.
All posts are free, and will always be.
If you decide to pay £5 monthly or £50 yearly for your subscription, you’ll be able to:
suggest book & fragrance pairings,
have a guaranteed pairing post after six months of paid subscription,
comment and join the community.
If you become a member of the Editorial Board for £200 yearly, you will also:
have a pairing dedicated to your own book, a book you’ve written or published, up to twice per year.
Hope to see you around. Hope especially that you’ll enjoy the discovery of new perfumes or literature.
Bisous,
Alice